Sitting, Waiting, Wishing
by MzBlack
Summary: Edward wants to make Bella and his relationship into something more, but a bad breakup has wounded Bella. How long can he wait for her?
1. Prologue

Bella and I have always been like two peas in a pod. I suppose it began before we were even born, when our mothers became best friends. Bella's mother, Renee, discovered that she was pregnant just three months after my mom found out that she was expecting me. They knew that we were destined to be as close as they had been for the last several years.

I don't know if they were expecting that fate would also give them each a boy or each a girl, or if we should have been best friends regardless. They got their wish, no matter what they expected—we have been inseparable for our entire lives. We even used our childish logic to reason away the other having cooties—even when we believed everyone else of the opposite gender had them. I kissed Bella's knee and defended her fiercely when she fell off of the monkey bars on the playground, and a teacher wanted to use the dreaded hydrogen peroxide to clean her wound. I played Romeo to her Juliet, just because she knew she would be too shy to play that part opposite any other boy in our sixth grade play. I opened her locker every day in eighth grade, when her classic Bella luck left her with the one locker that jammed with every attempt to get something out of it.

Before you assume that I am just some gallant gentleman, I should set the record straight; I would not do such things for just anyone. I don't do them because Bella is my best friend. I do them because I, Edward Cullen, am in love with Bella Swan.


	2. Big Girls Don't Cry

**AN: I forgot to do the whole…"I'm not Stephenie Meyer" thing in my first chapter. So, I am NOT Stephenie Meyer, and she owns these people.:) **

**Also, I should just state that this is obviously an alternate Twilight universe where Bella dates other boys and they are all human. **

**Please review!**

BPOV:

"So, yeah. I don't know what else to say to you. It's just not going to work."

I was having a difficult time comprehending what was happening. I was dressed up, makeup and all, sitting in a nice restaurant, being dumped. Mike and I had only been dating for a couple of months, but I was really starting to feel like I could love him. I had opened up to him in ways that only Edward, my best friend and rock, had seen before.

"You're not going to…like…cry or anything, right?"

All I did was shake my head, and think of all the ways I could humiliate him. I reached for my water with the intention of throwing it into his face, but in true Bella fashion, I just knocked it over. The water rushed across the table, swirling around plates and disappearing as it was soaked up by napkins. I watched it until Mike again brought the attention back to him.

"Bella? Well, glad you're good. I'm sure you're…"

I didn't let him finish. I stood up this time, saying, "Goodbye, Mike." As I grabbed my purse and slung it over my shoulder, I felt the familiar pricking burn in the corner of my eyes and knew that I had to get out of there. I speed-walked through the tables, and as I pushed open the heavy front door I felt the first tears sliding down my cheeks. I continued moving, not even knowing exactly where I was going. When I realized that I had nowhere to go, and that I hadn't even driven myself, the tearing up turned into all-out sobbing. I did the only thing I could think of; reaching into my purse, I pulled out my phone and clicked down to the "E" in my contacts. The phone rang, and hearing his voice felt like he was already there giving me a hug.

"Hello?"

"E…Ed…Edward?" I stammered through my tears.

"Bella? What's wrong? What happened?!" He demanded, becoming frantic.

"I'll…I'll tell you later….but…" I paused as another sob ripped through me.

"I'm coming to get you," he stated, not waiting for an explanation or agreement. "Tell me where you are."

I gave him the address of the restaurant, and found a bench off to the side of the building where I wouldn't be seen by Mike if he happened to walk out. I was freezing, and I pulled my knees up to my chest and tucked my skirt behind my legs to ensure modesty. I had left my jacket in the booth, but refused to go inside and get it. I would sacrifice that jacket if it could salvage any dignity I may have left. I looked at my current predicament, and couldn't keep from continuing to cry.

Several minutes later, a silver Volvo haphazardly pulled up to the curb. In what seemed like one complicated action, Edward was out of the car (which was still running), at my side, and removing his warm jacket to place around my shoulders. He sat down on the bench, pulling me into his lap and running a hand through my hair.

"Are you okay, Bells?" He asked, looking at my face searchingly.

"Mike…he broke up with me." I sniffled. He looked angry, but it was obviously mixed with relief. I couldn't muster feeling annoyed or indignant at that in this moment, however.

"You know he has never been good enough for you." He stated simply, and kissed me on the forehead. He was the only person who could get away with those kinds of comments without receiving an eyeroll from me; I still thought he was wrong, but I knew that he genuinely believed it.

"Let's go." I muttered softly, squeezing him tightly once around his middle before sliding off of his lap and standing up.

The drive home was quiet. He walked me into my house, and I noticed that Charlie's bedroom door was already closed, the lights off, and a light snoring sound emitting from the room. I had wanted some kind of company, and seeing that my father would be no help at the moment I turned to Edward again.

"Will you stay for a while?" I pleaded, grabbing ahold of the sides of Edward's shirt to convey my desperation.

"Of course." He smiled, and we went upstairs to my room where he flopped onto my bed. I excused myself to the bathroom to change into my pajamas and brush my teeth, then came back to see Edward looking through my collection of CD's. When he noticed my return, he held his arms out and I gladly obliged. As I lay next to him on my twin bed, he pulled me close and rested his head against my hair.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked quietly, knowing to approach me delicately when I was upset.

"I just don't know what is wrong with me." I said. "I must not be worth it." I felt myself becoming emotional again, and Edward held me even tighter.

"That is not true, Bella." He said firmly. "You are worth more than every other girl we know combined." I chuckled.

"You have to say that, Edward. You're my best friend."

"You know that's not why." He reminded me, and I could tell he felt slightly uncomfortable. "You know how I feel about you."

I did know, and it made me feel guilty sometimes. I assumed, though, that it was just a silly crush resulting from our close relationship. I felt like I was holding him back, so he had no choice but develop some kind of feelings for me.

"You know that all you have to do is say the word, and I'll be there for you. That I will be with you."

"I know, Edward. You are honestly the greatest person I know. Things aren't good for me now. Maybe things will come together someday." I whispered, feeling my eyelids become heavy. As I was drifting off, I heard him mumble quietly into my hair,

"And I will wait."


	3. Pretty Girl

**AN: Again….notminenotminenotmine!**

EPOV:

It had been a month since the night I spent holding Bella. I was ashamed to admit, even to myself, that her vague, noncommittal statement about a possible future between us had given me foolish hope. I had hoped that while Bella's heart healed, she would turn to me. That isn't exactly how it worked, and this lunch period was a perfect example.

I saw her walking through the lunch line behind a guy named Eric, who was basically walking sideways so as to have a better view of my best friend. He beamed as she laughed at his undoubtedly stupid jokes and touched his arm. She was even flipping her hair and looking up at him with wide, loving eyes. Poor Eric didn't have a chance—not that that stopped me from wanting to rip his face off.

She finally bid him farewell with a giggle and adorable little wave before walking over to our regular table, swaying her hips as she went. Her walk did not go unnoticed. I could feel my jaw set and mouth form a straight line. I didn't like guys looking at her like that.

"Hey, butthead." She greeted me, giving me a dangerously beautiful grin as she dropped her tray and sat across from me. She saw my face and asked what was wrong.

"Eric? Really?" I inquired, and she rolled her eyes.

"I was just talking to him. He's funny."

"Since when is that your only requirement?"

"Requirement for what? We were just talking."

"Definitely didn't seem that way too him."

"Okay, so I was flirting. What is wrong with that?"

I sighed and shook my head, concentrating on pulling apart the piece of cafeteria pizza that was still cold in the middle. I wondered to myself if she honestly didn't know that she might as well be stabbing me in the heart with that plastic spork she was using to eat her fruit cup. She had become more and more unaware of my feelings over the last few weeks—not exactly what I thought would happen.

We were soon joined by Alice, my sister and the only other one of our close circle of friends who had our lunch period—her boyfriend Jasper, as well as our brother Emmett and his girlfriend Rosalie were seniors, and had a different lunch schedule.

"This sucks. I hardly get to see Jas as it is, and we can't even see each other at lunch." Alice was pouting, but quickly started giggling.

"Bella, Matt Young is looking at you again."

Bella continued eating her lunch, but smiled and said quietly to Alice,

"He'll come over if he wants to talk to me." She took a sip of her water, wiped her mouth, and began applying lip gloss. Who was this girl? She was not the Bella I used to know.

Sure enough, Matt Young made his way over after very obviously faking a short conversation with one of his football teammates at the table next to ours. He seemed to puff out his chest and ran a hand through his shaggy hair as he approached.

"Hey, Bella. What's up?" he started, and Bella smiled up at him innocently.

"Oh, not too much, Matt. I hear you get to start Friday, very impressive."

"Yeah, well, I should have been starting before, but whatever. I'm ready to kick some trash. Sure I'll be better if you're in the stands watching me" He puffed out his chest further. Man, was this idiot laying it on thick. Bella giggled. Wait, was this working for her?

"Of course I'll be there!"

"Awesome. I was actually wondering if I could take you to Tyler's for the party we're having after the game. Music, beer, all that. It should be fun."

Bella flipped her hair again and bit her bottom lip before responding.

"Let me see…I think I'm free then. Want me to just wait for you outside the locker rooms? So you can have time to shower and all that."

"Sounds good. Unless you want to wait in the locker room. In the showers. With me." He said, raising one eyebrow. Moron. But Bella actually laughed.

"Maybe on a second date, Matty boy." He laughed as he put a hand on her back. I mentally gave him three seconds to remove it before he wouldn't have a hand to use at all.

He pulled his hand away from her as he said goodbye. You get to keep your limbs this time, pretty boy.

I sighed again before getting up to throw away my trash, without even saying goodbye. Alice and Bella were in giggly conversation and didn't seem to notice.

My mind was going a million miles an hour as I walked out of the cafeteria. I know this isn't the real Bella, and I know her well enough that she's trying to compensate for something. Her ego took a serious hit when Mike dumped her. If only she could realize that I was the person to build her back up again.

**AN: Yeah, I know Bella is out-of-character, even for an AU piece. But she has her reasons—Edward can read her like a book. He is very perceptive.:)**


End file.
